Devils' Kurtis MacDermid: Pens three-year contract
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MacDermid agreed to terms on a three-year, $3.45 million contract with New Jersey on Friday.
MacDermid will remain with the Devils after joining the club at the trade deadline this last season. In his 16 appearances for the club, the 30-year-old winger managed just one point to go with 29 hits, two blocks and 50 PIM. The decision to give MacDermid a three-year deal does seem a little surprising when you consider he averaged a meager 4:22 of ice time. Looking ahead to next season, MacDermid probably shouldn't be expected to offer much in the way of fantasy value given his limited minutes and lack of offensive upside.
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Devils' Samuel Laberge: Re-ups for another year
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Laberge signed a one-year, two-way contract extension with New Jersey on Thursday.
Laberge finally made his NHL debut this season, playing in two games for the Devils in which he generated three hits while logging a combined 6:11 of ice time. Considering the 27-year-old winger has never reached the 20-point threshold in AHL action, he figures to remain primarily a fringe roster option for New Jersey moving forward.
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Devils' Brian Halonen: Secures two-year deal
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Halonen inked a two-year, two-way contract with New Jersey on Thursday.
Halonen played in just two NHL games this season in which he registered two shots and two hits while averaging 8:17 of ice time. The 25-year-old winger was significantly more productive in the minors, racking up 20 goals and nine helpers with AHL Utica. Even with this new deal in hand, Halonen figures to remain primarily an AHL option for the club next season.
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Devils' Nathan Legare: Signs two-way deal
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Legare signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Devils on Tuesday.
Legare spent the whole season in the AHL in 2023-24, logging eight goals and four assists in 54 games played. Look for the 23-year-old to once again spend most, if not all, of the 2024-25 campaign in the minors.
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Devils' Max Willman: Re-signs with New Jersey
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Willman signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Devils on Tuesday.
Willman played 18 games with the Devils this season, recording three goals and one assist. The 29-year-old also played 33 games in the AHL this year, logging 12 goals and 10 assists. He will likely once again split time between the AHL and NHL in 2024-25 as an injury-replacement option for New Jersey.
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Devils' Jakub Malek: Agrees to entry-level deal
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Malek signed a two-year, entry-level contract with New Jersey on Monday.
Malek posted a 16-4-5 record with a 2.32 GAA and a .915 save percentage in 27 appearances for Ilves of Finland's Liiga during the 2023-24 regular season. The Devils chose the 22-year-old netminder with the No. 100 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. Malek will provide New Jersey with some goaltending depth and could get a chance to compete for the backup job behind Jake Allen during training camp.
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Devils' Seamus Casey: Inks entry-level deal
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Casey signed a three-year, entry-level contract with New Jersey on Monday.
Casey produced seven goals and 45 points in 40 games during his sophomore season with the University of Michigan in 2023-24. The 20-year-old defender was selected by the Devils with the No. 46 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. Casey will compete for a spot on New Jersey's blue line during training camp in the fall but could start the 2024-25 campaign in the minors.
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Devils' Ryan Schmelzer: Grabs two-way deal
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Schmelzer agreed to terms on a two-year, two-way contract with New Jersey on Tuesday.
Schmelzer went undrafted coming out of college but spent the last six seasons with the Devils' AHL affiliate without ever signing a two-way deal. The 30-year-old center appears to have finally shown the club enough after racking up 18 goals and 34 helpers in 72 games for the Comets this season. Despite the NHL contract, Schmelzer will likely continue to play the bulk of his minutes in the minors next year.
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Devils' Shane Bowers: Secures two-year deal
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Bowers inked a two-year, two-way contract with New Jersey on Tuesday.
Bowers saw action in just eight NHL games this season in which he generated zero points, seven shots and three hits while averaging 9:27 of ice time. Even in the minors, the 24-year-old center didn't offer much in the way of offensive output with a mere 14 points in 43 games for AHL Utica. Bowers should probably be expected to spend the bulk of the next two years in the minors with the occasional call-up.
Meier will have arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder but is expected to be ready for training camp ahead of the 2024-25 campaign, the Devils announced Tuesday.
Despite several injury concerns, Meier still managed to rack up 28 goals and 24 helpers in 69 games this season, including 17 power-play points. The Swiss international should be a near-lock to maintain a top-six role playing alongside Nico Hischier or Jack Hughes (shoulder) next season. It wouldn't be surprising to see Meier find his way back above the 30-goal and 60-point milestones provided he stays healthy.
Devils' Luke Hughes: Strong stretch run in rookie year
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Hughes finished his rookie season with nine goals and 47 points while dressing for all 82 games in 2023-24.
Hughes showed off his puck-moving skills on the power play, notching 25 points on the man advantage. Similar to his brothers Quinn Hughes and Jack Hughes (shoulder), Luke is highly skilled but undersized. The 184-pound blueliner was bullied in the defensive zone to the tune of a minus-25 rating, but fantasy managers will be willing to overlook those shortcomings from the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, especially if Hughes proves capable of sustaining his point-per-game pace from the last 14 games of 2023-24 over a longer stretch.
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Devils' Ondrej Palat: Another down year in NJ
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Palat finished the 2023-24 season with 11 goals and 31 points in 71 appearances.
Palat parlayed his strong play in Tampa Bay into a five-year, $30 million contract with the Devils in the 2021-22 offseason, but it's becoming more and more apparent that he was likely carried by playing alongside stars such as Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point in Tampa Bay. After nine consecutive seasons with at least 34 points for the Lightning, Palat has produced meager totals of 23 and 31 points in his first two years in New Jersey. At age 33, Palat's more likely to go down than up next year.
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Devils' Dawson Mercer: Slumps in year three
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Mercer finished the 2023-24 season with 20 goals and 33 points in 82 games.
Mercer's sophomore slump came a year late, as he finished with the lowest point total of his three-year career. The 2020 first-round draft pick also had a career-worst minus-26 rating, and he posted his lowest shot total (134) despite seeing a career high in average ice time (17:13). On the bright side, Mercer still hasn't missed a game in his NHL career, and he'll be a bounce-back candidate next season after posting point totals of 42 and 56 in his first two campaigns. Mercer will be a restricted free agent this offseason after the expiration of his entry-level contract.
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Devils' Nico Hischier: Takes step back with 67-point year
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Hischier provided an assist in Monday's 4-1 loss to the Islanders, wrapping up the 2023-24 season with 27 goals and 67 points in 71 appearances.
Hischier posted his second-highest point total and appeared in the third-most games of his seven-year career, but this season has to be viewed as a disappointment on the heels of his 80-point output in 2022-23. The first overall pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft also took a significant step back defensively, with his rating dropping from plus-33 last season to minus-5 as the Devils missed the postseason in 2023-24.
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Devils' Erik Haula: Finishes with 35 points
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Haula ended the 2023-24 season with 16 goals, 35 points and 155 shots on goal in 76 appearances.
Haula also set a career high with 54 PIM, and his minus-1 rating was his worst since a minus-16 mark with the Golden Knights in 2017-18. Ironically, that season in Vegas was Haula's most productive from an offensive standpoint (29 goals and 55 points), but he didn't provide nearly enough offense in 2023-24 to help counterbalance New Jersey's teamwide defensive struggles as the Devils fell short of the postseason.
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Devils' Jesper Bratt: No playoffs despite career year
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Bratt had an assist in Monday's 4-1 loss to the Islanders, finishing the season with 27 goals and a career-high 83 points.
Bratt took another step forward after consecutive 73-point campaigns, but the team around him took a step back, as the Devils missed the playoffs after winning a round in the postseason the previous year. The 25-year-old Swede signed an eight-year, $63 million extension last June, so Bratt's locked in as a key piece of New Jersey's core for the foreseeable future.
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Devils' Timo Meier: Lone marker in finale
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Meier scored a goal on two shots in Monday's 4-1 loss to the Islanders.
Meier got the Devils on the board early in the second period, knocking home a rebound off Semyon Varlamov to cut the Islanders' lead to 2-1. The 27-year-old winger finished the year strong, tallying nine goals and 16 points in his last 14 games. However, it was a disappointing campaign overall for Meier -- he'll finish with 28 goals and 52 points after surpassing the 60-point threshold in each of his previous two seasons.
